This is the story of Herbert Biberman, a film director who fell victim to the McCarthy anti-Communist witch-hunt of the 1950s, and fought back in the only way he could - as a film maker.  Biberman was humiliated, blacklisted and imprisoned for refusing to grass on his friends.  After prison and while remaining on a Hollywood blacklist,  Biberman directed  "Salt of the Earth" - a movie about New Mexico  zinc miners and their struggle to  improve working conditions.  Using local people to re-enact their experiences, Biberman once more found himself fighting Hollywood and US politics as they connived to smash the film production. For Biberman and the local community, the film comes to represent freedom.  "Salt of the Earth", completed against the odds, is one of only a hundred films preserved by The Library of Congress for its cultural and historical importance.

"A magnificent film about a disgraceful period of American history when Hollywood intellectuals were humiliated and imprisoned - their crime - a love of humanity. … Why is it that a Welsh film maker had to make this film about us, are we Americans so afraid to tell the truth about ourselves…."The Nation

“Extraordinary performances from Jeff Goldblum and Greta Scaachi and the many excellent British American and Spanish actors who made this fiercely truthful film…"  Jewish Chronicle

" Angela Molina is superb."  New York Times

“Realism in American cinema is rare but Karl Francis is a rare filmmaker with an ability to marry narrative and documentary truth in a truly entertaining way…Miami Herald